


Bud Light Battleship

by orphan_account



Category: Adam Levine (Musician), Blake Shelton (Musician), The Voice (US) RPF
Genre: M/M, Shevine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 15:44:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4143360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Blake loses a contestant on "The Voice", he takes it hard. After a live show, Adam has the perfect idea to cheer him back up again. (Repost, please see Notes)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bud Light Battleship

**Author's Note:**

> This story originally appeared as "I Sunk Your Battleship", written by LiterallyMare. I am now reposting it under the name of MimiRedCrow, after my stories were orphaned without my consent in May of 2014. If you have any questions or concerns about this, feel free to contact me with them. I am very thankful to AO3 for letting me repost and reclaim the stories I wrote and repost them under new titles.

It was no secret that Blake took losing his contestants on the "The Voice" hard. When he'd joked before on air that he drank so much because of elimination nights, there was a ring of truth to it. He was the kind of guy that put everything into his people and he tended to get very attached to them, especially the ones that held out until almost the end. This week his country rocker had gotten the boot, falling short of being in the quarter finals. He only had one contestant left to put into the quarter finals. 

This was not shaping up to be a Team Blake year.

Adam sympathetized, though, he really did. He also got attached to his contestants and took every elimination personally. It wasn't uncommon for him and Blake to get together after the live show, and if he lost someone he would go over every little mistake he might have made with that person. Blake was the kind of friend that would sit through that, pat Adam on the back and reassure him in all the right places without getting judgemental about the younger man's tendency to be neurotic at times. Maybe that was why over the last three years he'd become one of the Adam's closest friends. And probably, at least in Adam's heart, much more. 

After the live show was over, Blake invited Adam over to his rented house, but he declined the invitation. Instead he told Blake to wait a half hour and then come to his place instead. He had seen something on Facebook that had looked like something Blake would enjoy a couple of weeks ago and he figured it would be just the think to lift Big Country out of his doldrums.

"This part is important," He told Blake firmly before he got into his car. "Don't start drinking without me. I know you had some vodka in your Sprite during the show, but no more until you get to place. Got it?"

"Do I look like the kind of idiot that would drive drunk?" Blake raised an eyebrow. When he went to Adam's house he prefered to drive himself, then there were no time restraints. And if he got too drunk, he had no druthers passing out on his friend's couch. 

"Just do it." Adam admonished him one more time from behind the wheel of the little Mazarati, then closed the door. He drove towards his house, a smirk crossing his face. He hoped to give his friend a nice evening. That was one nice thing about being based out of LA...having the live show at nine eastren meant it was six pacific time and they were out by seven-thirty or so with a whole night to kill. 

Once he got back to his place, though, he realized that maybe a half hour wouldn't be enough time. He scrolled through his phone until he found the picture and studied it for a moment. Then he made a mental list of what he would need. This was going to be a bit of an undertaking, but cheering up his best buddy would be more than worth the effort. And now he finally had found a good use for the large island in the kitchen. 

*****

Almost an hour later, Blake knocked on the door to Adam's house. He'd needed the extra time to finish with the set up, so it was a good thing he'd been late. Standing back, he admired his creation for a moment. The island was covered with wax paper that had been divided into two large grids with one hundred squares each. (That would've killed his sanity had not it been for the burst of hyperactivity that had hit him once he realized he didn't have time to finish the project before Blake got there. Sometimes ADHD could be a blessing.) Between the grids was what had been a baby gate to keep the puppy off the carpeting and had been hastily covered in the same butcher paper so it was now a divider. Sitting down you couldn't see the grid on the other side, but had a grid of your own in front of you.

Pleased with himself, Adam answer the door and grinned at Blake. "I have a surprise for you in the kitchen. Good think it's not food, 'cause you're late. Are you ever going to get that GPS?" 

"Never. Just to piss you off." Blake replied and smiled a little. "And I hope that surprise is vodka after that drive over here. Why the hell did you LA-ins make the streets this damn maze?"

"I'm sorry, I know you're used to dirt roads." He rolled his hazel eyes as he lead the taller man into the kitchen. "But I'm glad you're late...this took longer than I thought it would."

Blake surveyed the kitchen island with the paper grids and the divider between them with a little frown, clearly trying to figure out what it was. "Adam..."

"Remember when I came out last summer to Oklahoma and we played beer pong?" Adam explained, holding up a ping pong ball. "That was a lot of fun...and then I saw this on the internet, and I knew we had to try it." He smirked. "Ever play Battleship when you were a kid?"

He nodded, glancing over at the island again. "Hell yeah, what kid didn't? You got to blow shit up. Great game."

"Welcome to Beer Battleship." Adam grinned and pulled out a stack of red solo cups from the cabinet under the island. "I don't remember the names of the ships. There's a five pointer, a four pointer, two three pointers and a two pointer. Remember? So here......" 

He demonstrated putting a cup on each square for four squares in a straight line. Glancing up at Blake, the smile on the country singer's face made every bit of work well worh it. Soon the bigger man's booming laugh was filling the kitchen and he clapped his hands in delight like a little boy. That impish smile did things to Adam's insides that he would rather not think about at the present moment. But he would do anything to get to see that smile. 

Blake took off his jacket and dumped it on the counter, walking over to sit down at one end of the island. "So...how do we play? Like regular beer pong?"

"Yup," Adam nodded and moved to the fridge to get the ammunition. "You throw the ball over the divider and if it hits one of my ships, I drink. And I hit one of yours, you drink. Whoever loses their all their ships first is the very drunk loser." 

"And we don't have to worry about dropping the little pegs. I always used to drop the little fucking pegs when I was a kid and lose them. Or they wouldn't go in the holes." Blake nodded his approval, counting out the right amount of solo cups from the stack and passing them over to Adam's side of the game space.

Adam snorted. "I always knew you had trouble getting your peg in the hole." 

"Fuck you." His friend shot back amipacably enough. 

Adam sat down at the other side of the island and set a twelve pack on the floor between them. He concentrated as he set up his ships and put the extra cups aside. Despite being too hyperactive to sit still for long periods of time, he was also able to hyperfocus and he generally kicked ass in strategy games because of it. Once all of the ships were set to sea, he armed them with Bud Light, Blake's favorite beer that he just always happened to have in the house. Between both fleets, it took almost the whole twelve pack to get properly filled up.

"Okay..." He took a deep breath and tossed the ball over the partition. "Opening shot!"

Unfortunately, his aim was slightly off and he smacked Blake in the middle of the forehead with the ball. 

The country singer pulled back and rubbed his head, rolling his eyes a little. "Great aim. Now how long have you been wanting to do that, huh?" 

Adam cracked up and soon Blake was chuckling too. The country singer retrieved the ball from the floor and tossed it over the partition for his first turn. It struck the granite countertop with a clunk and bounced away into the kitchen. Thankfully the puppies were in the other room or the ball would've met a quick end. 

"Now who has shitty aim, Big Country?" He teased the other man back. 

"Oh shut up." Blake countered and tossed the ball back to him. "Your turn."

The only problem with beer Battleship was that it was much harder than beer pong. After a half hour of throwing the ball back and forth no one had scored a hit yet. Even Adam, who excelled at strategy games, was doing a miserable job. It was hard to hit the cups when you couldn't SEE them. And it was harder to remember where each ball he'd thrown had hit when he was talking with Blake. Somehow, no matter what they did, they always had a good time and regressed back to twelve years old. Though it would be easier to do that with the help of a little alcohol.

"Where the hell did you PUT those your ships man?" Adam complained after he hit the countertop again. 

"I've got an invisiblity cloak, you know, like in Harry Potter." Blake replied with a smirk.

Adam raised an eyebrow. "You read Harry Potter?" 

"Hell no! Have you seen the size of those books? But I saw the movies with my cousin's kids. My sister's kids are too young for them right now." He glanced down at the beer before him when he missed hitting anything on Adam's side again. "So we watch that Yo Gabba Gabba show when I'm there. Talk about something you need a drink for..." 

"Blake..." Adam turned serious at the tone in his friend's voice. "Are you gazing at the beer?" 

"Does a bear shit in the woods?"

"Don't! Do. Not. Touch. It." 

Blake sighed. "I greatly appreciate the effort...but this game is fucking hard. And you know my history with anything that involves athletic ability." 

"Dude, you can't even golf. And that's like the most unathletic sport outside of NASCAR." Adam snorted. 

"Don't be bad mouthing NASCAR now, city boy." He threw the ball back over the partion, aiming for Adam's head this time. 

Adam ducked the ball just in time. "Hey!" 

"Hey, if I hit your head can I drink one of the cups?" Blake smirked and got up to retrieve the ball. 

"You better not!" 

Laughing, Blake pegged the ball at Adam's head again and the other man jumped out of his chair to avoid it. A ping pong ball wasn't even going to leave a bruise, let alone do any real damage, but it had become a challenge. Soon Blake was trying to pelt Adam with the ball and they were basically playing dodgeball. With a ping pong ball. In the kitchen. 

Obviously that was never going to end well and after a few minutes of horseing around the inevitable happen. Trying to run away from the latest ping pong ball lobbed in his direction, Adam tripped over his own feet and faceplanted on the tile floor. He didn't hit his head but he did bonk his chin, which made him stay still for a moment.

"I sunk your battleship!" Blake called triumphantly, then slid to a stop over his friend. "Hey...you okay?"

"Yeah," Adam sat up slowly, rubbing his chin. "Just hit my chin." 

The other man kneeled down in front of him. "Let me see..."

"It's okay," He reassured Blake, but moved his hand away. There was something in the other man's voice that made him drop the usual male pretenses of shaking it off and blustering that it was okay. The tone was concerned and there was a nuturing edge to it that Adam didn't hear directed at him that often by the country star. 

"Well, you didn't crack it open at least." Blake gently ran his thumb over Adam's chin. "But I bet by tomorrow you'll have one hell of a bruise." 

Adam smirked, but it faltered having Blake's face so close to his. They monkeyed around a lot on the set, kissing each other and hugging, Adam sitting on Blake's lap, but they hadn't gotten that close when they were alone. He wondered if it was because they both had picked up that there was an undercurrent of something else in their bromance. Something decidedly more mance than bro. At least that's the way it felt right now. Or late at night when he was alone and wondering what it would be like to have his friend there in a not so friendly type of way.

Without stopping to think about the consequences, Adam cupped Blake's face in his hands. He had the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever seen on anyone, male or female, and he just stared into them for a moment. Then he leaned in and brushed his lips lightly against Blake's. When there was no resistance, he pressed a firm kiss to them. He knew there was a good chance he was going to get socked in the face, but it was worth it to feel that softness against his lips. 

Instead of hitting Adam, Blake dropped forward onto his knees. They stayed lip locked for several desperate seconds before parting. Then the country singer stared at him openly for a moment, clearly debating how to react. Adam prayed it wouldn't destroy their friendship. He really couldn't see Blake not in his life, even if they never got to act on what feelings were laying beneath the surface. 

"Blake..I..." Adam began, but was cut off with the urgent press of Blake's lips on his own again. He gave a muffled sound of surprise, then wrapped his arms around the other man's neck. 

Seconds ticked into minutes as the two sat on the floor, exploring each other's mouths. First the kisses had been intense, almost desperate, but after the intial shock wore off things began to get slower, more tender and less frantic. All sense of time seemed to be lost and Adam felt pleasently disoriented when Blake finally did pull back from him, breathing hard. 

"Wow..." He murmured. "Where the hell did you learn to kiss like that?"

Adam smirked, but it was followed by an almost bashful duck of the head. "I'm just that good, I guess."

Blake rested against the island, looking at Adam closely. He took one huge hand and rested it on Adam's groin, a little smirk crossing his face as he no doubt felt the other man's reaction to their unexpected makeout session. "I think I found where you've been hiding your fleet. Feels like the five pointer..." 

Adam groaned softly and pressed back into the warm hand. "Just don't try to hit it with the ping pong ball, got it?"

"Oh no, I have a much better way in mind to sink your Battleship."


End file.
